Former West Indian captain, Carl Hooper belongs to a generation when the T20 version of the cricket didn’t really matter and even people don’t like to talk about the format, as that time Test cricket was considered as the ultimate and gold format of the game.
And talk about today's era, the Test cricket is struggling itself to survive T20 onslaught as the shorter version of the cricket revolutionized the game and even changed the whole landscape of cricket with the format becoming the favorite for the modern players and fans as well.
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Well, the game has extensively evolved over the years and even the situation has now completely changed with the arrival of T20 leagues likes of Indian Premier League (IPL), Big Bash League (BBL), while most of the counties have its own leagues and even now there is even a T10 league.
However, Hooper admitted the change and believes that as time goes on, more changes are likely, but he is still a great devotee of Test cricket while backed the five-day format to be continued over the four-day proposal. Though, he feels Day-Night is a good idea to promote the format in the era of T20 cricket.
Speaking to Sportstar, Hooper said: “It can’t remain stagnant. The game is changing. Twenty [or] twenty-five years ago, we wouldn’t even talk about T20s. Now, we have T10s, and who knows, there could soon be T5s. As time progresses, you will see many changes in the game.”
The 53-year-old, who was recently in India for the UnAcademy Road Safety World Series that was eventually called off due to coronavirus pandemic, favored the five-day traditional Test cricket.
He further added, “I don’t have problems with day-night Tests. That’s a good thing to have happened. But I am still in favor of five-day Tests instead of four days.”
After retiring from all forms of the game in 2004, Hooper moved to Australia with his family and currently resides in Adelaide, where he is hoping to get a coaching job in a T20 side. He also made himself open to Cricket West Indies for a role while making clear his choice in the shorter format.
He further explained, “A full-time coach always needs to be on the road. It means, you have got to sacrifice on your family, that’s always an issue. But that wouldn’t stop me from getting occasionally involved in T20 tournaments. I have done that in the Caribbean Premier League and also in Australia.
I would ideally want a job in Adelaide, where I can leave home, get involved in the game and return at the end of the day. But to be into coaching, you ideally gotta be with an international team. I am interested in coaching in T20 cricket, even if it is about getting involved with West Indies cricket.”
However, the former batsman is residing in Australia but he has close eyes on West Indies cricket and feels his home country has a good chance to retain the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 later this year.
Hooper signed off by saying, “We have got very good T20 players and it’s good to have Dwayne Bravo back in the team. We should be very competitive in Australia. We have got most areas covered, given the conditions. I am expecting a very good show in Australia.”
(With Sportstar Inputs)
